A different look

Salisbury has three players
with 99 or more carries this season, six with 40 or
more.
Salisbury athletics photo

By Adam Turer
for D3sports.com

When two of the nation’s most prolific offenses square off
in the West Region final, the pressure will be on each defense to
keep the game close. UW-Whitewater has a punishing rushing attack
led by a disciplined offensive line and All-American running back
Levell Coppage. Salisbury led the nation in scoring this year,
thanks in large part to the precision of its triple option offense.
It is safe to say that neither defense has faced an opposing
offense on par with what it will see this Saturday when the two
teams square off in Wisconsin with a trip to the national
semifinals on the line.

“We generally have success stopping the run, but we
haven’t seen anyone run the ball with the kind of success
Salisbury’s had,” said Warhawks defensive coordinator
Brian Borland. “We need our guys to do their jobs well and
make the plays that they should make.”

The Warhawks coaching staff saw a similar attack in league play
a few years back when UW-River Falls ran and ran. While Salisbury
has perfected it in a way that UW-RF hadn’t since the
mid-1990s, the Whitewater staff will take what they learned from
past preparation.

“I think you have to draw on that experience as much as
you can,” said Borland.

The current Warhawks defenders have never prepared for the
triple option offense. Entering this week, they had yet to run a
play against it in practice. The scout team will try to capture the
complexities of the triple option this week, but the Warhawks will
still have to learn on the fly on Saturday.

“You’re never going to be able to practice against
it as well as Salisbury does it,” said Borland.
“There’s always going to be a little adjustment period
to the speed come game time. I think we’ll be schooled up and
ready by Saturday.”

Jimmy Qualters saw the Warhawks offense up close twice this
season. The Franklin junior linebacker started in his team’s
Week 2 loss to Whitewater. He watched from the sidelines injured as
the Warhawks knocked the Grizzlies out of the postseason last
week.

“Their offense is very strong and they don’t make
mistakes,” said Qualters. “When they all come together
and they’re clicking, it’s hard to stop
them.”

Coppage rushed for 119 yards and two scores in the first half of
the Sept. 10 game and added 221 yards and three scores last
week.

“He does a good job of hiding behind his linemen and then
once he finds a crease, he’s gone,” said Qualters of
the All-American running back. “It takes everyone on your
defense to keep their offensive linemen from getting to the second
level.”

The cohesiveness of Whitewater’s offense may only be
matched by the synchronicity of Salisbury’s triple option. It
will take a finely tuned defensive effort to match the offensive
firepower on Saturday.

Jake Hohlstein, Casey Casper
and the rest of the UW-Whitewater defense will have a different
task than usual ahead of them this week.
Photo by Daryl Tessmann for d3photography.com

“A lot of teams get caught standing and watching and by
the time they figure it out, it’s too late,” said
Borland. “It takes a lot of discipline — body, eyes,
and reading your keys.”

Prior to last week’s triple overtime shootout with Kean,
the Sea Gulls were allowing just 17 points per game. They know that
they are facing their biggest challenge of the season. Against
strong competition and strong running teams in the Empire 8,
Salisbury proved that its defense can rise to the occasion.

“The key for us is to focus on Salisbury,” said Sea
Gulls defensive line coach Jonathan Bannister. “We have to
play our fundamental game and we have to execute just as well as,
if not better than, they do.”

Both teams rank in the top ten in the nation in turnover margin.
With each team expected to get its yards and points to an extent,
this game could come down to who comes up with a timely
takeaway.

“It is very crucial for our defense to be as opportunistic
as possible,” said Bannister. “One of our strengths all
year has been the way we get after the ball and create
turnovers.”

While Whitewater must prepare for an offensive style that it has
yet to see this season, Salisbury can draw from its earlier
preparation for the ground games of St. John Fisher and Frostburg
State. The inside and outside zones that Whitewater likes to run
are not brand new concepts to the Sea Gulls defense. The man
carrying the ball, however, is the difference maker.

“He has great vision, great feet, and he trusts his
offensive linemen,” said Bannister of Coppage.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but he runs big and with a
lot of heart.”

The Sea Gulls should not show any signs of fatigue from their
49-47 triple overtime win over Kean in the second round. Depth has
been a key factor for Salisbury’s defense this year and has
allowed the Sea Gulls to overpower opponents late in games.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to rotate a lot of guys
and stay fresh,” said Bannister. “I think we’ve
benefitted from a lot of young guys stepping up into key
roles.”

Who will step up on Saturday and make a game-changing play?
Neither team is loaded with big name stars on defense. Linebacker
Greg Arnold is the catalyst for the Warhawks defense and has
several talented teammates around him. Jamey McClendon, Chris
Everett, Andre Carter, and Alex Akinseye, among others, have made
big plays for the Sea Gulls. Neither team has faced an offense as
potent as the one it will face Saturday.

“It’s a matter of we’ve got to do what we do
best better than they do what they do best,” said Borland.
“We know that we won’t be able to keep them from
getting any yards. We just can’t give up big plays. We might
bend, but we can’t break.”